Council planners slammed fruit farmers AC Goatham and Son as being disrespectful, borderline bullies - before conceding farmers needed support and giving permission for a giant new pack-house.

The application for a new 8000 square metre apple “grading packing and storage facility” at Flanders Farm in Hoo, has proved controversial, drawing letters of objection over noise, drainage and the loss of countryside.

And while planning committee members said they were keen to support Medway businesses at a planning committee meeting on Wednesday night, they seemed equally keen to put AC Goatham and Son in their place.

“I’ve had an issue with the applicants in terms of their approach to conditions - there’s a lack of respect,” said Cllr Andrew Mackness, regarding breaches of conditions surrounding operating hours at the pack house. “That shows disrespect for the wider community and actually verges on bullying.”

Cllr Stephen Hubbard agreed, saying that the company was a welcome business but had a “bad reputation.”

“We don’t want to be taken for fools as a council,” he added. “We want to see a good business, good neighbourliness and good adherence to planning conditions.”

He also said a letter from the applicants’ QC was “rude” and suggested they seek new legal advisers.

“Having said that, I don’t see a problem with the application,” he added.

“If you want to have British fruit, Kentish fruit, you’ve got to have large scale production. It’s big and ugly, but if we don’t have it we’re not going to have any farmers in Kent any more. This is going to provide lots of employment." - Cllr Adrian Gulvin

Cllr Nick Bowler continued on the same theme - saying the applicants went too far during a council site visit to the farm, when councillors were told the Prime Minister backed the business.

“It wasn’t relevant if David Cameron, Ed Milliband and the Pope thought it was a good business,” he said. “We weren’t there to hear that - we were there to hear if it was a good application.

“I don’t need to be told that I need to give permission or it’s going to cost the council money.”

But he too supported the scheme.

The biggest champion of the application was Cllr Adrian Gulvin, who gave an impassioned speech about supporting Kentish farmers, recounting with a sneer how he had walked into a supermarket that morning and seen Chinese fruit for sale.

“If you want to have British fruit, Kentish fruit, you’ve got to have large scale production,” he said. “If we don’t have that we’re going to fail. If you don’t get those economies of scale you’re not going to survive in the modern world.

“It’s big and ugly, but if we don’t have it we’re not going to have any farmers in Kent any more.

“This is going to provide lots of employment - not only in Medway but in the greater Kent area.

“I don’t want to go into a supermarket, as I did this morning, and see fruit from China.”

The building will hold 6,000 tonnes of fruit, with a retail value of more than £10m.

At present the firm employs the equivalent of 230 full-time staff, 300 seasonal staff and says it influences 1,200 jobs in Kent. AC Goatham’s 20-year plan predicts its influence will be closer to 2,500 jobs come 2035.